LOCATION: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Photo above is property of Gnome & Raven
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Magic Lamp
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 10, 2021
🎬 GENRE: Fantasy
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 4-8 PPL
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins
💰 PRICE: $30/PP
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
By code and laws of all magical things, every genie is required to grant exactly 1,000 wishes in no less than 500 years. Once this accomplished, they are released from their lamp. Balazar Bolderdash, a genie who has faithfully served in his Magic Lamp for 499 years, 364 days and 23 hours, currently has granted precisely 999 wishes. With only one hour left, the last wish is lost inside his lamp and nowhere to be found! Enter inside his Magic Lamp and help him find the last wish before it's too late!
Video above is property of Gnome & Raven
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
We love when intros are done by game masters in character. Valerie did an amazing job with getting us prepped for this magical world.
Right when we enter, we're mesmerized by the beautiful tree (if you guys have extra time, ask the GM to tell you the story about the tree) right in the center of the room. All the wishes on there are handwritten by the employees. The room was decorated in blue and gold with colorful accent lighting to provide a magical touch.
In order to successfully pull off the concept of entering inside of a magic lamp, there has to be something spectacular in mind. The lighting and ambience is exactly what you would expect in a genie's lamp. It literally felt like we're transported into a Disney movie.
You can tell the quality that the company put into finishing their props and decor. If you've watched Aladdin before, you'll probably be able to cross reference some of the items in the movie. It's utilized really well with the puzzle designs.
The size of the room will comfortably fit a large group. We were literally running around (didn't mind it at all) till the last minute (quite satisfying) in order to find that last wish.
There are many "magical" moments that we experienced in the room.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
There was one puzzle that was a bit confusing with the cluing and made us think that it we had to actually do something in order for something to "magically" happen. I think we definitely entertained the GMs for that puzzle. Some clarity in the clues would help.
Since "Magic Lamp" is such a large room, there were times that we weren't aware what we had opened or if we triggered something. Perhaps some added spotlights or louder alert sounds would help with this issue.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
Gnome & Raven is located in an outdoor shopping complex called "Stony Point Fashion Park". Once we saw the eye catching sign and decoration, we already knew that it was going to be something special. The front of the entrance is painted red and black with gold trimmings. The rooms are some of the biggest ones we've seen for a storefront location. We really didn't anticipate each game to be so large as it's definitely deceiving to the eye. Once you enter, you'll be immersed into a magical world right away as you'll be greeted not by normal game masters but characters from the stories. Gnome & Raven currently has 4 games available to choose from with familiar themes with a rich storyline behind it. Magic lamp truly made one of our wishes come true which is become a character inside the world of "Aladdin" but after taking a sneak peek of the other rooms, we know we have to go back and play all of them!
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
There is a free parking lot (the closest place to park to access Gnome & Raven is by P.F. Chang's). Gnome & Raven is located inside the "Stony Point Fashion Park". Lobby area with seating. There are packages available for purchase.
Please note: This room contains sliding, crawling/moving through tight spaces, and some high steps.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank Gnome & Raven for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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